The basis of our faith is built on the Bible as the Holy Scriptures, given by inspiration from God and containing everything people need for their salvation. The Bible is our only authoritative scripture.
What do we believe?
- God is the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth.
- Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before time, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born into the world from the Virgin Mary, blameless in life, crucified and died for our sins, and raised for our justification.
- The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will teach and remind us of all that Jesus has commanded us, and give us power and grace to keep Jesus’ commandments.
We adhere to the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
We preach that, because of sin, there has been a separation between God and people. Because every human being has come under God’s judgment over sin, everyone needs to be reconciled with God. (Romans 3:10)
Jesus made reconciliation possible by suffering death on the cross for the sake of all people, even though He was innocent and had never sinned. Because of this sacrifice, anyone who wants to believe in Jesus and confesses their sin can have their sins forgiven and be reconciled with God. (Romans 5:8)
We believe that Jesus came not only with forgiveness of our sins, but also with a new life in growth and development as a follower of Jesus. We believe that after being reconciled by Jesus’ death, we will then be saved by His life. (Romans 5:10)
In Luke 9:23, Jesus Himself explains what it means to be saved by His life: “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.‘”
This is a personal invitation. But each person must choose for themselves whether or not they want to follow Jesus.
Our preaching emphasizes what we personally experience through obeying Jesus’ commandments, and the promises that come with this obedience. This also includes rest from worry, unbelief, doubt, unrest, and all the sins that destroy and make life difficult for people. All those who follow Jesus and take up their cross daily will personally experience God’s love and care, as well as His discipline, guidance and comfort. (Romans, 8:28, Titus 2:11-12)
This makes us strong in faith and provides certainty in the hope that God’s promises will be fulfilled.
Click the box or links below for a more detailed description of our faith.
Johan O. Smith wrote extensively about the message of the cross, and the new life the Scriptures speak about.
Our beliefs are further based on the teachings, values and Christian content that Smith represented. His articles in the publication Skjulte Skatter (Hidden Treasures), and surviving letters and books (all published by Stiftelsen Skjulte Skatters Forlag, or “The Hidden Treasures Publishing Foundation”) give insight into these, and can be found at the link below.
